INSINUATING Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

insinuating 1 of 2

adjective

in-ˈsin-yə-ˌwā-tiŋ

Definition of insinuating

as in charming

likely or intended to win one's affection the fortune hunter's insinuating attentions were having their intended effect on the naive heiress

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

insinuating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of insinuate

as in infiltrating

to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way years were needed for the agent to insinuate himself into the terrorist organization

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in implying

to convey an idea indirectly are you insinuating that I won by cheating?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in inserting

to put among or between others quietly insinuated herself among the concertgoers raptly listening to the piano solo

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of insinuating

Adjective

Rather than viewing the insinuating and undeniably creepy Gacy as an inherent threat, Macmanus finds the tragedy in the disparate and desperate circumstances amid which Gacy might have represented an illusion of hope. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025 In the process, the day-to-day nightmare of Dana’s new reality gets lost, even if the more insinuating discomfort of her present-day reality has been enhanced. — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Dec. 2022 The complaint says that since at least early 2021, McKillips had been posting messages insinuating or explicitly threatening to harm the government or federal agents. — Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 2 Nov. 2022 But Johnson’s pieces were intimate and insinuating, not imposing, rarely much larger than a comic book and easily overlooked. — Vince Aletti, The New Yorker, 22 July 2022 The only sparks in the evening came from countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo (Dionysus/Dracula), who commanded attention at every appearance with his insinuating, chromatic vocal line and some spectacular costumes by Chrisi Karvonides-Dushenko. — Heidi Waleson, WSJ, 10 Aug. 2021 The Harptones had Willie Winfield, a tenor vocalist with immaculate pitch and an insinuating way with a phrase, and Raoul Cita, a gifted vocal arranger who made sure the group's voicings were always distinctive. — Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 3 Aug. 2021

Verb

That’s how grifters such as Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, two former NBA players insinuating themselves clumsily into the transgender sports debate, create value. — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 As the escape-room activity kicks off — the guests have 30 minutes to find Aesha’s crew — the boys find plenty of opportunity to make insinuating jokes about tying up the girls, some (Coop) more wholesome than others (Luke). — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 30 June 2026 One is to emphasize Iago—the guileful, insinuating convincingness of this malicious supervillain, who works on Othello to the point where any reasonable man would be deceived and fooled and worked into a rage that can lead to such a catastrophe. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026 Instead, the group bought ads insinuating that Villegas had been complicit in covering up abuse of minors at his local school district. — Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 15 June 2026 Twice divorced and with two children from previous relationships, Parker, a country girl from Simms, Texas, had a history of quickly insinuating herself into the lives of new friends and craved attention, especially from men, says Bright. — Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026 The words were insinuating, territorial, postwar code from a man to anyone not scanning as local. — Literary Hub, 3 June 2026 Almost a decade ago, a Palos Township trustee came under fire for Facebook comments insinuating that local schools were full of undocumented Middle Eastern students. — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026 The average analyst has a hold rating and price target insinuating shares can fall more than 32%, according to LSEG. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for insinuating

Adjective

The neighborhood Located on the Bodrum peninsula, Türkbükü is a charming seaside village, just 15 minutes away by car and out of earshot from Bodrum’s bustling centre.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
Among the house’s charming features were a wraparound porch, a custom library, and an attic converted into a bedroom for their daughter, Chelsea, who turned one year old during the Clinton family’s two-year residency at the house.

— Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of charming

Verb

Meghan expressed concern that school pickups and dropoffs would lead to a swarm of paparazzi infiltrating the moment.

— Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
Dozens of pages of documents describe agents secretly infiltrating meetings, monitoring activist chat groups and using license plate numbers to compile names of people who attended gatherings.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of infiltrating

Verb

The Honduran man, according to the criminal complaint filed in federal court, called the agent a slur describing a female dog and referenced the midterm elections, implying federal agents could be charged for crimes if Republicans lost power.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Some investors, trying to read the tea leaves, interpreted that as a potential warning that more conservative guidance is on the horizon, implying that a turnaround will likely take more time.

— Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of implying

Verb

Sadly, the production was a downer, draining Kushner’s masterpiece of color and humor and inserting, in their place, gloomy projections of cityscapes and, unaccountably, David Bowie songs.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026
Extending Zero Trust To Code Applying zero trust to code execution does not mean inserting manual review into every software path or replacing controls such as EDR, vulnerability management, SAST, SCA, SBOMs, signing or provenance.

— Ken Ammon, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of inserting

Verb

Additionally, the hoard contained both Arab and Anglo-Saxon coins, indicating the Vikings’ involvement in broader economic exchange between Europe and Southwest Asia during this period.

— Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Among adult pedestrians killed in nighttime crashes, about a third had blood alcohol levels indicating intoxication; so did about 20% of those killed during the day.

— Paula Span, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of indicating

Verb

That’s when parents might want to consider introducing them to the PG-13 movie, a film designed to meet the needs of tweens and teens without going too far into grown-up territory.

— Kara Nesvig, Parents, 29 Aug. 2026
He is best known for introducing the idea of dynamical similarity to cosmological systems — a mathematical realization of philosophical principles in physics.

— Big Think, Big Think, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of introducing

Browse Nearby Words

insinuates

insinuating

insinuation

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Style

“Insinuating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insinuating. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of insinuating

adjective

verb

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